#THE ARMED FORCES (EMERGENCY DUTIES) ACT, 1947 
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##ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
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SECTIONS 

1.  Short title and extend. 
2.  Emergency duties of Armed Forces. 
3.  Validation of certain past commands. 

 
 
 
#THE ARMED FORCES (EMERGENCY DUTIES) ACT, 1947 

##ACT NO. 15 OF 1947
[^1]

[20th March, 1947.]

An Act to enable duties in connection with vital services to be imposed in an emergency on  an 
Armed Forces.

WHEREAS it is expedient to enable duties in connection with vital services to be imposed in the 
emergency on the Armed Forces. 

It is hereby enacted as follows:— 

1. **Short title and extend.**— This  Act  may  be  called  the  Armed  Forces (Emergency  Duties) 
Act, 1947. 

2. **Emergency duties of Armed Forces.**—(1) The Central Government may,  by  notification in the 
Official  Gazette,  declare  any  specified  service in a State to  be  a  service  of  vital  importance  to  the 
community: 

Provided that such notification shall remain in force for one month in the first instance, but may be 
extended, from time to time, by a like notification. 

(2) Upon a declaration being made under sub-section (1) and until it is rescinded, it shall be the duty 
of every person subject to the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950) or the Air Force Act, 1950 (45 of 1950), 
or the  Navy  Act,  1957  (62  of  1957),  to  obey  any  command  given  by  any  superior  officer  in 
relation to employment upon or in connection with the service specified in the declaration; and every such 
command  shall  be  deemed  to  be  a  lawful  command  within  the  meaning  and  for  the  purposes  of  the 
said Acts. 

3. **Validation of certain past commands.**—Every command given, alter the 30th day of September, 
1946, and before the commencement of this Act, to any person referred to in sub-section (2) of section 2 
by  any  superior  officer  in  relation  to  employment  upon  or  in  connection  with  any  such  service  as  the 
central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in his behalf, shall be deemed to 
have  been  a  lawful  command  within  the  meaning  and  for  the  purposes  of  the  Acts  referred  to  in  that                
sub-section, so, however, that no such person shall be punished by reason only of his not having obeyed 
any such command. 

[^1]. The  Act  was  extended  to  the  new  Provinces  and  merged  States  by  the  Merged  States  (Laws)  Act,  1949  (59  of  1949),  s.  3 
and Schedule to the States of Manipur, Tripura and Vindhya Pradesh by the Part C States (Laws) Act, 1950 (30 of 1950), s. 3, 
in  Pondicherry  on  1-10-1963  vide  Reg.  8  of  1965,  s.  3  and  the  Schedule  I;  to  Lakshdeep  (w.e.f.1-10-1987);  vide  Reg.  8  of 
1965, s. 3 and Schedule, to Goa, Daman and Diu with modifications by Reg. 12 of 1962, s. 3 and the Schedule (w.e.f. 31-1-
1963) and in Dadra and Nagar Haveli (w.e.f. 1-7-1965) by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and the First Schedule. 